Month: June 2016

If you’re setting up an indoor garden, the spacing of plants can be a critical factor underlying how much your garden yields. We have prepared this article to outline some of the basic ways that plant spacing effects light absorption, and some tips to optimize your garden’s success.

When light shines on a garden, the leaves near the top of the plants get more intense light than the leaves at the bottom. The top leaves shade the bottom leaves and absorb energy, making less light available to lower leaves. If the lower leaves do not receive enough light, they will yellow and die. Tall six-foot plants take longer to grow and have higher overall yields than shorter four-foot plants, but the yield will be about the same.

Atleast 99 two-week-old seedlings or cuttings can be huddled directly under a singele 400-watt HID. The young plants will need more space as they grow. If packed too closely together, plants sense the shortage of space and do not grow to their maximum potential. Leaves from one plant shade another plant’s foliage and slow overall plant growth. it is very important to space young plants just far enough apart so their leaves do not touch or touch very litlle. This will keep the shading to a minimum and growth to a maximum. Check and alter the spacing every few days. Eight to sixteen mature tomato plants three to four months old will completely fill the space under one 1000-watt HID. Plants can absorb light only if it falls on their leaves. Plants must be spaced so their leaves do not overlap too much. Yield increases very little when plants are crowded. Plants also stretch for light which makes less efficient use of intense light.

Best number of plants per square foot is often a matter of experimenting to find the magic number for your garden. In general each 40-inch square of space will hold from 16 to 32 plants.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 28th, 2010 at 6:33 pm and is filed under Hydroponic Growing System, Indoor Growing Lights. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Growing crops without soil, otherwise known as hydroponic agriculture, is not a recent innovation. In fact, it can be traced back to ancient times and kingdoms like Babylonia, whose Hanging Gardens were said to have been created and nurtured by use of hydroponics.

The modern day Middle East, especially water-deprived countries like Jordan and Syria, has had on-going problems in that local agriculture cannot provide sufficient amounts of local food due to lack of sufficient water and arable land to grow crops. Other resource-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates see hydroponics as the only solution for providing hyper local, fresh, nutritious food.

As a result of this water scarcity problem, Jordan sees potential in hydroponic agricultural projects, which are said to use as much as 90 percent less water over conventional soil-based agriculture.

The Kingdom of Jordan is seeing commercial opportunities for local hydroponic farming and is getting some help from the USAID Hydroponic Green Farming Initiative (HGFI). Hydroponic agricultural projects growing vegetables by both hydroponic and organic methods were the subject of an event held in May 2015, where US Ambassador to Jordan Alice Wells featured these vegetables in an event with Jordanian governmental officials and local producers.

The event was aimed at showing how use of hydroponic growing techniques not only saves water resources but produces high quality yields as well. Ambassador Wells told the participants:

“The future of hydroponic farming techniques is bright in Jordan. Hydroponic farming techniques are well-suited toward maximizing Jordan’s scarce supply of water. From my visits to hydroponic farms in the Jordan Valley, I’ve seen that the potential to grow more produce through hydroponic techniques is significant, given the minimal additional investment required to implement them.”

She added that hydroponic agriculture maximizes Jordan’s scarce water supplies. Her visits to hydroponic projects in the Jordan Valley indicate a good potential for this type of agriculture, with just a minimal additional investment required.

Chefs who attended the event were able to see the quality of the hydroponically-grown produce, which often uses no pesticides. Um Ali, who heads a woman’s agricultural cooperative in the north of Jordan, told the gathering that production of herbs like thyme is much better using hydroponic agriculture than by traditional soil methods:

“Our thyme production from hydroponic farming is far better than traditional soil farming. It uses much less water, which is scarce in Jordan. Our production is clean from soil diseases,” she said.

Building reliable markets for hydroponically-grown produce is equally important. The USAID program is designed to build greater awareness of the advantages of hydroponically-grown produce, and the chefs in attendance at the reception were able to experience first-hand the quality of produce from hydroponic fields. Developing strong domestic markets for produce will assist farmers in balancing the cyclical nature of produce grown for export.

Developing tools and an industry for hydroponics in the Middle East is just as important. Consider this super cool American company flux from New York powering up the entire industry by providing powerful monitors and controls for hydroponic farms, in the same way that Mobileye enables self-driving Tesla cars. The global market flux is tapping into will grow from about $19 billion today to $27 billion in 4 years. It’s a massive opportunity since there are few global players with no dominant, affordable solution for new businesses.

Jordan can and should be a part of that.

More about hydroponic agriculture in the Middle East:Hydroponics in QatarSaudi Arabia’s OAXIS hydroponic food beltKhalifa hydroponic farms paying offGrow fresh food in the middle of Manhattan?Hanging gardens of Babylon inspire water farming called hydroponics

Maurice Picow grew up in Oklahoma City, U.S.A., where he received a B.S. Degree in Business Administration. Following graduation, Maurice embarked on a career as a real estate broker before making the decision to make Aliyah to Israel. After arriving in Israel, he came involved in the insurance agency business and later in the moving and international relocation fields. Maurice became interested in writing news and commentary articles in the late 1990’s, and now writes feature articles for the The Jerusalem Post as well as being a regular contributor to Green Prophet. He has also written a non-fiction study on Islam, a two volume adventure novel, and is completing a romance novel about a forbidden love affair. Writing topics of particular interest for Green Prophet are those dealing with global warming and climate change, as well as clean technology – particularly electric cars. Maurice can be reached at maurice (at) greenprophet (dot) com.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 25th, 2010 at 8:58 pm and is filed under Hydroponic Shop. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

CGS is a hydroponic fresh vegetable production system housed inside a customized 40 foot insulated shipping container. Measuring only 320 square feet in size, each CGS can supply more than 23,000 pieces of produce annually, which typically requires one full acre of land when grown conventionally. Furthermore, growing in a controlled CGS unit provides the perfect environment to produce safe, clean, pesticide free, non-GMO food. Vegetable options currently include over 150 varieties of nutrient rich, high fiber leafy greens. The CGS also ensures that produce is affordable, as growing food at the source of where it is consumed virtually eliminates transportation and packaging associated with conventional produce distribution.

After an extensive search, VHH selected CXT Inc., based in Spokane, Washington as its manufacturing partner. As a leader in modular building systems throughout the country, CXT brings a wealth of experience in manufacturing to VHH. “CXT is absolutely committed to the highest standards of construction. We are extremely excited to partner with them to make our dream of food security a reality”, says Dan Perpich VHH co-founder and CEO.

“When approached by Dan and his team in November of last year, we were quickly intrigued not only by their business model, but their social mission to provide safe, affordable foods to consumers in hard-to-grow areas around the world. We are excited to be a part of their vision and look to support them for many years to come” stated Darren Stuck, Plant Manager for CXT Spokane.

Demand for local food has been rapidly increasing in the U.S. According to the USDA, the number of farmers markets has more than quadrupled over the past two decades. A 2014 Hartman Group study finds that local may even surpass organic as a principle of transparency and trust (know your farmer). The U.S. is seeing fundamental behavior changes away from big packaged mass-produced foods to locally grown, artisanal and highly nutritious options.

In spite of growing demand and the success of the “Alaska Grown” program, food security due to lack of locally grown food in Alaska is a huge problem and has been a topic of conversation among many state leaders. This is evident, as only 1 percent of Alaska’s GDP is agriculture, which results in a dependence on the majority of its food needs on imported products.

Kyle Belleque, the owner of Belleque Family Farm, a Dillingham resident who purchased the system from VHH with the help of Bristol Bay Development Fund, is excited to add year round growing options to his farm. “This project has been a long time in the making. We are eager to install the unit at our place and begin providing fresh year-round produce to our family and friends around the region.”

As technology improves, the next step in an agricultural revolution is growing high quality food locally and sustainably on a commercial scale. According to an NPR piece on farm to school program in Washington, D.C., an interviewee said “We’re not buying just from one vendor. Managing delivery schedules and matching growing seasons with menus takes a lot of planning and coordination”. This may be alleviated with a hydroponic farm such as Vertical Harvest Hydroponics’ CGS. No more summer versus winter produce variation and price volatility! No dependence on the supply chain or the price of oil! It is always sunny in the CGS – no need to worry about weather fluctuations either. A farmer can grow produce in consistent quantities for schools, year round.

Alaska is one of the states that can benefit the most from a reliable internal food source (i.e. food security); thus we must be on the forefront of the “growing local” movement.

About Vertical Harvest Hydroponics:

Vertical Harvest Hydroponics (VHH) is a veteran-owned business, located in Anchorage, Alaska, that designs and builds Containerized Growing Systems (CGS), which allow produce to be grown on-site hydroponically and year round, virtually eliminating the expensive and lengthy supply chain.

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Is something going wrong in your indoor garden despite all of your hard work? Take a look at this list of the most common problems that can arise when gardening indoors.

Lack of Ventilation: Leaves cannot function correctly without a steady supply of fresh air; Poor ventilation causes slow growth and poor absorption of water and nutrients.Inadequate Lighting: This can slow down photosynthesis which leads to poor use of nutrients, and give the plants a scrawny appearance.Too High / Too Low Humidity: Either one of these conditions will cause stress to the plants from over-consumption or under-consumption of water.Temparature: A low or high temperature can slow a plant’s growth, and wide temperature fluctuations of more than 15 to 20 degrees can retard growth altogether.Overwaterting / Underwatering: Overwatering prevents the roots from taking in air, severely limiting nutrient intake and possibly causing them to rot. Underwatering slows the transport of nutrients, ultimately leading to sickly / dying roots.Light Burns: Foliage burned by HID Lamps is at an increased risk of attack from pests and disease.Indoor Air Pollution: This can slow plant growth to a crawl. Make an effort to check for vaporization from building materials and other chemical air leaks.Hot Soil: Soil over 90 degrees can cause harm to a plant’s roots.Roots Receving Direct Light: Roots require a dark environment; Light shining through to them can turn them green and their function will slow significantly.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 26th, 2010 at 4:07 pm and is filed under Hydroponic Growing System, Hydroponic Supplies, Indoor Growing Lights. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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Fresh air is an essential yet often overlooked asset to your Indoor Garden, and it can be the difference between success and failure.

Outdoor crops have a supply of air packed with CO2 that is constantly being refreshed by the wind. They also have rain to wash away accumulated dust and pollutants. Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen are both necessary to a plant’s growth: Carbon Dioxide combines with light energy and water to form sugars that are metabolized by the plant, while oxygen is used for respiration, burning of carbohydrates, and nutrient absorption in the roots.

An Indoor Garden must be specifically calibrated to replicate the outdoor atmosphere, and most Gardeners must take the time to set up an adequate ventilation system. Three factors effect air circulation, stomata, ventilation, and circulation.

Stomata are essentially a plant’s nostrils, they are used to inhale CO2 and release oxygen. Stomata can be clogged easily by dirt or other pollutants in the air, and pesticide sprays. To avoid clogging stomata, spray foliage with tepid water a day or two after spraying with pesticides, fungicides, or nutrient solution.

Air circulation is important because when air stands still plants can use up all of the CO2 rich air surrounding leafs in minutes, creating dead air zones. This can also lead to an easier infiltration by fungus and insects. To avoid this, you may want to keep a door or window open and/or install an oscillating circulation fan to keep up a constant circulation of air currents.

Ventilation is important to consider as well to get rid of exhaust air and bring in a supply of fresh air. An open window and a fan may be adequate in bringing in fresh air, but if no vent opening is available one must be created. Ventilation ducts and fans can be used to push or pull air into a room, and roof vents are a practical and discreet option as well.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 at 5:26 pm and is filed under Hydroponic Growing System, Online Hydroponics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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The harvest is one of the most enjoyable parts of running an indoor garden; It is your reward for all of the time and energy you have put into it.

Generally speaking, healthy, well maintained plants are going to produce plentiful harvests, but there are plenty of additional things you can do to get the most out of your plants.

Pre-Harvest Tips:

To avoid the taste of organic or chemical fertilizers, you should flush the garden with plain water 10 to 14 days before harvesting. Some gardeners will use fertilizers up to 3 or 4 days before harvesting and use clearing solutions to remove the fertilizer residue.If you are growing herbs that will be dried, do not water them for 1 or 2 days before harvesting them. The soil should be mostly dry, but not too dry to where the plants begin to wilt. Done correctly, this will reduce your drying time by about a day and will not in any way effect the end product.

Harvest Tips:

Harvest timing is critical, as plants and fruits need to be harvested at the moment of peak ripeness. This window is very small, usually between 5 to 7 days.Growth of the plant or fruit will stop at harvest. Make sure to keep plants from prolonged exposure to the light, temperatures above 80°F, excessive friction, or damp/humid conditions.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 at 7:06 pm and is filed under Hydroponic Growing System. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.